A vertical trajectory may be defined as a vertical profile of flight. A vertical trajectory of an aircraft, for a particular air route, is generally created by a flight management system (FMS) onboard an aircraft. Passenger air travel and air transport of goods are becoming progressively more costly, due to the rising cost of fuel and other factors. The cost of a particular flight (e.g. fuel consumption, flight time) depends on altitude, weight, aerodynamic performance of aircraft, speed of aircraft and environmental conditions (wind, temperature).
Accordingly, it is desirable to determine practically-implemented methods for reducing the cost of a particular flight. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.